Car Modifications

[starman]

I have inherited a few dozen cars from my father.  Most are from the early 1980's.  No cars have been modified.  In your opinion, what type of couplers should I install?  Are there any other modifications I should consider making to the cars?  Thanks for your replies.

[jrbernier]

  Kadee metal couplers, and metal wheels like I-M or P2K...

Jim

[doctorwayne]

I agree with Jim on the Kadees, but would consider the wheel change optional.  I don't change wheels unless there's something wrong with them, and most of my rolling stock still has its original plastic wheels.
There are a lot of other changes I'd make, also optional, which would take precedence over wheels. 

Wayne

[dknelson]

starman

I have inherited a few dozen cars from my father.  Most are from the early 1980's.  No cars have been modified.  In your opinion, what type of couplers should I install?  Are there any other modifications I should consider making to the cars?  Thanks for your replies.    

 

I guess all of us have been assuming that these cars you inherited have body mounted couplers (such as Athearn or Model Die Casting cars) as opposed to the truck mounted so-called "talgo" couplers from cheaper train set quality cars.  If your cars do not have body mounted couplers, then that is another change I would recommend.  And of course those Kadees should be mounted at the correct height. 

 

If you have an NMRA standards gauge, check all the wheels for proper gauge and flange depth.  Some wheels cannot be adjusted and if they are off gauge should be tossed,.  Some can be twisted on the axle to make the gauge correct.

 

If the cars are from the 1980s the flanges should be OK but if the flanges are very deep, this would be a good time to swap out for the metal wheelsets mentioned.

 

Sometimes new (or existing) wheelsets do not roll as well as you'd like.  A tool called a truck tuner from MicroMark reams out and polishes the bearing openings in the trucks.  In a pinch, a small Phillips screwdriver can do the same thing.

 

The other thing to check for is weight of car; cars tend to be underweight, rarely over weight.  I myself use the NMRA recommended weight standards for HO: one ounce plus a half ounce per inch of car length.  I have a small digital postal scale on my workbench (I check the weight of car kits before building them so any needed extra weight is made part of the kit building process).  Some 1/4 oz and 1/2 oz weights come with double sided tape attached.

 

Once the cars have body mounted Kadee couplers at the correct height, wheels of correct gauge and flange depth that are free rolling, and are correctly and uniformly (to the extent possible) weighted, you could stop there and declare victory.

 

Unless you are into the kind of detail improvements at which Wayne is the master, the other "basic" modification I'd suggest is simple weathering.  Everyone has their own favorite methods for that.  I first spray with Dullcote to give the body of the car "tooth," then brush on an isopropyl/india ink mix, and then apply powders and chalks, sealing with a final coat of DullCote.  That is very basic weathering, following an article in the NMRA Magazine a year or two ago.

 

I also paint the wheels and the trucks.  A jig is sold that holds the wheels so the wheel face but not wheel tread gets painted.

 

It is psychologically easier to get that basic weathering accomplished BEFORE placing a car in service on the layout.  It just is.

Dave Nelson